Wayne Bridge is hoping to making his debut for Sunderland in the Premier League game against Norwich City at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday. The 31-year‑old former England left‑back has joined Martin O'Neill's side on loan until the end of the season after being frozen out at Manchester City by Roberto Mancini.

"I'm delighted to make the move," said Bridge, who despite earning around £85,000 a week at the Etihad Stadium had recently been exiled to train with the youth team. "I have met the manager and the lads and everyone seems great. I'm just excited to start playing football again. The club is on the up – the manager has come in and done very well. Just speaking to him, everything has been positive. I have trained with the lads and they are a great bunch who are feeling really positive. Hopefully I can help Sunderland progress even more."

Bridge's solitary first‑team appearance for City this season came in a Carling Cup third‑round tie against Birmingham City in September and the holder of 30 England caps seems eager to make up for lost time. "I'm grateful for the chance here and I want to go out and work hard," said a man "hurt" by his City experience under Mancini. "I have looked at the fixtures and this month's quite busy with a game every few days. That's going to be good for me."

O'Neill first signing since succeeding Steve Bruce addresses a longstanding vacancy for a specialist left‑back on Wearside.

Although Bridge has made only 58 first‑team appearances during his three years at City, he retained a high fitness level and consistently recorded body fat measurements among the lowest in Mancini's squad.

"I'm hoping Wayne's undoubted ability and experience can be a big help to the team until the end of the season," said O'Neill, who also signed the centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos on loan from Wolfsburg until May. "Because of the number of injuries we've sustained lately I'm pleased to have Wayne here."

With Wes Brown and Titus Bramble sidelined by injury, Kyrgiakos, a 6ft 4in, 32-year-old Greece international and former Liverpool centre‑half, can also expect a fair amount of first-team involvement over the next few weeks.

"Sotirios offers a real physical presence coupled with a wealth of experience which will be extremely beneficial in the coming months," said O'Neill, whose hopes of signing Kevin Davies, the veteran centre-forward, from Bolton Wanderers diedon Tuesday night.

Manchester City have completed a deal which brings the Chile midfielder David Pizarro to the club on loan from Roma until the end of the season. Pizarro has played seven times in the league for the Italian club in this campaign.

Meanwhile Carlos Tevez is understood to have appealed to the Premier League against the fine of six weeks' wages – around £1.2m – imposed on him by City for gross misconduct, namely travelling to Argentina without Mancini's permission in November. Tevez, who ended the window still a City player despite the welter of transfer speculation surrounding him, must await the outcome of a Premier League hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. In the interim the striker, having failed to complete a move away from the club during the January transfer window, was said to be preparing to return to Manchester and could report for training at City before the weekend.